Where is the Aorta?

The aorta is the big artery rising from the left side of the heart, through which the blood passes on its way to all parts of the body except the lungs, which are supplied blood by another system.

Staring from the heart, the aorta forms an arch, descending down the left side of the body. It passes through the diaphragm into the abdomen, where it divides into two lesser arteries.

One of these terminates under the end of the backbone, where the coccyx is present. The aorta is elastic, muscular and has three valves at its exit to protect the heart from any back pressure that might develop in the artery and force the blood in the wrong direction.

What is a Slipped Disc?

      The vertebrae of the spinal cord have an intervertebral disc between them.

      This acts as a shock absorber and is a flexible pad made of a jelly like core surrounded by a fibrous cover. The weakest part of a disc is near the back.

      The fibrous cover may develop a crack when too much strain is put on the back.

      As a result of this, the jelly-like material bulges out. The bulge may press on a nerve in the spinal cord, causing pain to the person. This is known as a slipped disc.